Esmeralda Soria takes early lead in California Assembly race. Other results in key races

Democrat Esmeralda Soria captured a small lead over Republican Mark Pazin early in their race for California’s newly draw Assembly District 27, preliminary election results showed.

Soria captured 52.7% of the first tallied votes. Soria watched results roll in from Bella Luna in downtown Merced, where she and state Sen. Anna Caballero, D-Merced, cohosted their election night party.

Pazin wasn’t far behind Soria, with 47.3% of the votes, according to preliminary results. Pazin and his supporters watched the results from the Courtyard Marriott hotel.

District 27 covers western Fresno County, most of Madera County and all of Merced County. The largest number of voters are in Merced County.

Forty-three percent of voters in the 27th District are registered as Democrats, compared with the GOP’s 27% share. No-party preference is third with 22.5% of voters.

In the primary, Soria finished first with 40.1% of the votes, despite having another Democratic opponent. Pazin finished second, with 35%, and also faced a challenger from his party.

Soria, 40, is closing out her final term on the Fresno City Council. She was appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom to his state task force on homelessness. Soria raised nearly $2.9 million.

Pazin, 66, was the Merced County Sheriff until 2015, when then-California Gov. Jerry Brown appointed him head of the law enforcement branch of the Office of Emergency Services in Sacramento. He raised over $1.2 million for his campaign.

During the campaign, Pazin attempted but ultimately failed to tie Soria to indicted former Rep. TJ Cox, D-Fresno. He touted support from law enforcement and first responder groups and highlighted his time as sheriff. Pazin was one of the only California sheriffs who supported AB 109, which sent nonviolent offenders from state prison to county jail.

Soria also capitalized on Pazin’s record as sheriff, using it in a number of attack ads while promoting her law enforcement endorsements. On the Fresno City Council, Soria has been a vocal advocate for affordable housing, decriminalizing homelessness and improving and adding parks.

Other state legislature races

Assembly District 8: Jim Patterson (R) 73.8%, Nichols 26.2%

Senate District 4: Marie Alvarado-Gil (D) 50.2%, Robertson 49.8%

Senate District 14: Anna Caballero (D) 58.7% vs. Amnon Shor 41.3%